Restraw
RESTRAW officially started after an epic backpacking honeymoon adventure in 2016, where my husband and I travelled to, and dived in, all sorts of areas around the globe. A very sad reality that hit us time and time again was that we saw just how much plastic was affecting our planet. Our oceans and islands, and just about every area we went to (even the most remote places), had some level of plastic infiltrating and taking over. We realised how out of control the whole situation has gotten. It’s one thing to know about it but seeing it with your own eyes is a another story altogether and really changes something in you.
We came across reusable straws for the first time in Bali and it was so incredibly awesome. They resonated with us from the second we saw them. Not only are they brilliant for the environment but they are pretty amazing to sip through as well. After a long chat with one of our environmentalist friends about the gigantic plastic issues the world is facing, we knew that we needed to bring the straws to South Africa. Once back in South Africa in 2017, we started our mission to bring RESTRAW to life.
RESTRAW is a change in mind-set, it’s a mind shift. Our motto is rethink, reuse, reset. It’s about rethinking the way we do things, reusing and recycling everything that we can, and resetting for a better, plastic-free future.
We hope that our RESTRAWS resonate with you and that you get as much joy from them as we do.
RESTRAW Products
Our products have been carefully conceptualised and crafted to be as environmentally friendly as possible, from start to finish. We use sustainable material as far as we can and produce as much with our South African brothers and sisters as possible.
restraw glass straws are manufactured and branded locally, each one being hand crafted with the utmost care. We have partnered with an incredible company called Upcycle (www.upcycle.co.za) to make our beautiful hemp sleeves. They teach and empower people in various communities to make a living from the resources they have at hand. We use 100% hemp fabric for the sleeves as it is incredibly sustainable, cruelty free, antibacterial and antifungal. Our packaging is made from recycled and biodegradable material. We have requested that our suppliers stay away from using plastic for any of our products and rather use paper if necessary.
Thanks to our amazing network of people that donate us all sorts of materials and cool things to experiment with, we have been able to train incredible people that have previously not had work, how to make things to sell at markets to create an income for themselves.
When RESTRAW came along we didn’t really have a well-established income for the people that where making things to sell at markets so this was a great opportunity for a stable income because for every RESTRAW pouch they sew they get paid for. Teaming up with RESTRAW is a perfect combination, RESTRAW needing the RESTRAW pouches and being able to pay people for the product they were making and Upcycle having a skilled bunch of hard working people that are willing to learn anything new.
Beacause our team are not afraid to learn and understand that you cannot get it right the first time, when people are motivated enough they find a way of doing what they want to do and make it happen. They have spent many hours learning ad growing thier confidence levels and are really keen to take on new challenges.
Our team has been creating new products from all the materials we have been donated and learning how to use the sewing machines without holding back or being afraid to learn. It is an exceptionally refreshing environment when you don’t have to nag anyone to do their job or when people don’t drag their feet every time they have to learn a new skill and this is why Upcycle thrives, we always make the most out of our days, we look for people who are willing to put in the effort and then put all our effort into them.
RESTRAW pouches sold separately or with straws
For more information and booking contact Winnie via email winnie at upcycle.co.za
